Page 32 of Driven by Dragonblood (Blood Born #3)

Jaxon

P atrick’s scream was nothing less than perfect as wind rushed against my back. I seemed to float on air, the blackness of night swallowing me whole.

But I didn’t fear smashing against the rocks like Gramma did.

A harsh flap of wings sounded, and talons grabbed hold of me, yanking me from my free fall, shooting me up toward the sky.

My grin widened even as my heart sped to my toes at the abrupt change of trajectory.

We shot upward, car lights blinding me for a brief second as another flap of Prim’s wings damn near blew Patrick off his feet.

He stumbled backward—but I couldn’t see his face to tell if he had his eyes open and finally saw the fucking truth of what Prim and I had been trying to explain to him.

Prim’s heartbeat thrummed in time with mine, adrenaline coursing through my system, making my entire body shake in her hold.

I patted her leg with a trembling hand. “Land, Prim,” I hollered, even though she had to feel my readiness to land as clearly as I did her hope we had accomplished what we’d planned to do.

She circled and set me onto my feet gently outside of the reach of the car’s lights before touching down beside me in a clattering of pebbles.

Patrick had turned toward the car’s headlights to keep his focus on us, his face finally coming into view. He stood unmoving, shoulders hitched, his lips parted—and face deathly pale as though he was ready to pass out.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered, his audible gulp immediately afterward making my smirk return.

I stepped forward, Prim moving to my left with heavy steps that betrayed her bulk even if Patrick couldn’t yet see her clearly.

As one, we stepped into the light.

Brilliance glimmered off her golden scales, and I slid my hand along her side, needing the connection of shared hesitancy and hopefulness between us. Her warmth soothed me clear through to my inner beast, who purred as our energies weaved with one another.

“Holy fuck ,” Patrick swore again, his hands clenching and relaxing at his sides as his gaze slid over the beauty of our female.

We stopped ten feet away from him, and although fear widened his eyes, his pupils swelled, revealing his desire.

The scent of brimstone flooded my nose, and my inner beast groaned with want, dick twitching to life inside my jeans. Sweetness wafted atop Patrick’s earthier smell, all strawberries and deliciousness.

“Prim,” I said, encouraging her to do as we’d discussed. She hesitated but finally leaned down, stretching her neck toward Patrick.

He blinked.

Slowly blew out a breath .

His hand shook as he reached for her lower jaw.

Prim shivered at the stroke of his fingertips, her arousal in response to his touch making mine intensify.

“My God.” Patrick breathed the words, settling his palm against her scales.

Primrose purred, her eyes closing like a cat’s, head tilting as though begging him to pet her.

Contentment rolled off her like billowing smoke, her sense of completeness causing my soul to ache.

Desperate for connection, I laid my hand on her flank again. Electrical currents shot through my body as the three of us linked physically for the first time.

A sense of wonder slid through my conscience.

Strength.

Stoic authority that made my inner beast weep and my knees weak with the need to drop and worship my alpha.

I belonged to him—and he was mine.

Mates.

Swallowing hard, I recognized that everything my life had been lacking before, everything I had always wanted, stood before me.

Belonging.

Acceptance.

And the emotions and thoughts weren’t mine alone.

“You see?” I half-choked on the words, the sight of wonder on his gorgeous face growing hazy as my eyes welled.

His head jerked up and down, and he finally tore his focus off Prim’s face to meet my gaze.

A rush of annoyance slid through the energy linking us, his eyes narrowing even as lust flooded through us both.

“The fuck, Jaxon?” he growled, shoulders tensing even as he continued to stroke over Prim’s neck.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do.” I blew out a breath, attempting to ease the crazy rush of emotions causing my body to shake. “How to get through to you.”

“Fucking nearly gave me a goddamn heart attack!”

Prim wound her tail around us, and her rising distress and need to shelter and hold us close rolled over my mind.

My inner beast purred his delight at her desire to nurture, something else my humanity had never truly felt from anyone who should have loved me.

Patrick turned his focus back on our female, shoulders relaxing along with the displeasure my manipulation had caused him. “Change back—please.”

The light shimmered around Prim in golden waves, almost like flame, and both Patrick and my touch fell away from her as she shrank into her human form.

“Holy fuck,” he murmured for a third time, his gaze flitting over her nakedness and back up, swallowing as his gaze rested on her face.

“This is real—all of this…everything I imagined and dreamed about…shit.” He rubbed a hand over his face, the sound of his palm brushing over his short beard loud in the stillness surrounding us.

“Jesus.” Swallowing hard, he held out a shaking hand toward Prim.

She slipped hers into his grasp, both gasping as though struck by lightning.

My feet itched, fingertips tingled.

Please.

As though sensing my need, Patrick tore his attention off the perfection of our female. “Jaxon.” He offered me his free hand, and I stumbled forward with a choked cry, desperate for his touch.

Our fingers brushed first before palms clasped tightly together.

Yessss.

Fulfillment flooded through me, causing a tear to slide down my cheek. “Prim,” I choked out, reaching for her .

Her fingers wound through mine, the completed circle bringing the three of us together, the tether linking as it was always meant to be.

Currents of emotion rose and ebbed, up one arm and down the other in a continuous flow like a gentle tide. Giving and taking in, sharing as the water did with earth, quenching its thirst over and over again.

Whispers tickled my ears, the beginning of what would come to fruition, Primrose had promised, once we consummated our bond.

My balls throbbed, but I pushed against rising desire for physical fulfillment, longing to feel the complete acknowledgment of truth from Patrick before we shared in our lust to mate.

He stared at Prim’s face, her smile more glorious than anything I had ever laid eyes on in my life.

Her gift allowed her to hear our alpha’s inner dragon, and the fact she smiled rather than overwhelm my senses with heartache told me all I needed to know.

Relief flooded through my soul, weakening my knees again. Wetness filled my eyes, and I bit my tongue to keep from whimpering like a needy kid. Fuck knew Patrick’s mind would demand he stick to stubbornness over the age gap between us if I behaved like the youngster he’d seen me as from day one.

I clasped and held on tight to his hand, refusing to be denied again .

Fate had given me everything I had always longed for.

And nothing, no one, alpha included, would rip this gift away from me.